While the department expects all pupils to aim for the highest standards of expression and presentation, there is emphasis on encouraging pupils to explore different forms of communication through a range of activities and to discover and build on their own strengths and abilities.

The department:

·      encourages creative writing and story telling.

·      organises regular theatre visits to and from the school.

·      runs a weekly Drama Club and there is an end of year drama production in the Summer Term.

·      follows the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 & 4. The syllabuses for GCSE are Edexcel English (A) 1203 and English Literature 1213.

Currently the following key texts are studied:

Year 7:

Skellig -David Almond
Room 13 – Robert Swindells
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Introduction to Shakespeare
The poetry of William Blake
The Old Stories
Media Text - Shrek

Year 8:

Genesis Chapter 1 & 2, Greek Myths, Beowulf.
Ballads: including The Ancient Mariner – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Tempest – Shakespeare
Holes – Louis Sachar
Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo
The Monkeys Paw and other mysterious stories
Media Text - Batman

Year 9:

Tales of the Unexpected – Roald Dahl
Stone Cold – Robert Swindells or To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Poetry of the First World War
Macbeth – Shakespeare
Media Text- Bladerunner

Year 10:

The Hound of the Baskervilles – Arthur Conan Doyle
Media Texts – Animal Welfare
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

Year 11:

Journey’s End – R.C. Sherriff
Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare
Romantic Poetry – including William Wordsworth and William Blake
The Edexcel Poetry anthology

Class sizes do not exceed 16 in any year group.

m In Year 7 and 8 pupils work in the same set unless they are withdrawn and work in the Tardis for support with Literacy. Pupils are divided into three sets in Year 9. There are two sets for Year 10 and 11.

m There are six periods of English a week of 35 minutes. At the end of each year the pupils sit internal examinations. At Key Stage 4 (GCSE) the timetable offers at least one double period a week.

m The six periods a week include regular library and reading lessons. All Key Stage 3 pupils follow the Attack spelling programme for a further period a week. The pupils are streamed across the three year groups in KS3 according to their spelling age for this one period.

m At Key Stage 3 the pupils are set one 30 minute prep a week. At Key Stage 4 the pupils receive two 40 minute preps a week. Pupils are expected to work in their own time on English Language and Literature Controlled Assessments.